3D Printing to Deck the Halls of the White House

US President Obama has proven a strong supporter of 3D Printing technology, not only through vocal acknowledgement of this technologies potential for enhancing innovation and economic development but also through the creation of 3D Printing hubs within the US. Now the Obama administration is set to include 3D Printing into the long-held tradition of decorating the White House for Christmas, with the first ever 3D Printed White House Ornament Challenge.

The competition which ran from the 30th of October to the 10th of November was the result of a collaboration between the White House, the Smithsonian Museum and 3D Printing website Instructables. Entrants were simply required to create a decoration (no larger than 3″ x 3″) which reflects the magic & wonder of the holiday. Some 300+ designs were submitted with entries narrowed down to 20 finalists based highest number of votes from instructable members. A panel of judges (comprised of staff and respected members of the instructables community) are now set to rate the finalists with the averages of ratings set to determine the winners.

Winners of this festive challenge will not only have their designs 3D printed but also shipped to the White House where they will be hung in the East Wing of the White House during the holiday season. In addition the winning designs will be featured on the Smithsonian 3D data platform and will join a small collection of White House ornaments in the political history division of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

Dont forget to check back in December to find out which 3D Printed Decorations are set to make an appearance at the White House. In the meantime a selection of some of our favourite entries are shown below: